Category Archives: BY PRICE FOR TWO

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Bistros, Commentary, Guest columnist, Hurstbourne, Middletown, Jeffersontown

Caffe Perusa is a secret that can’t be kept

Caffe Perusa
Caffe Perusa’s “A Study of Oysters” features oysters prepared in six different ways, from a traditional oyster dressing to crispy with rosemary barbecue sauce. LEO photos by Jane Mattingly

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes.com; Guest Critic Kevin Gibson

Walking into Caffe Perusa is a bit of a shock – it’s true that Louisville has a diverse and reputable fine-dining scene, but to find something like this in a strip mall is unexpected.

The wood floors, impeccable décor and crystal-adorned table settings in the main dining area are set off by a perimeter lined with booths that feature white Roman ionic columns and circular arches, set against accents of gold and red. The two-level, 10,000-square-foot restaurant also has four private dining rooms and a wine cellar that holds 10,000 bottles. Outside seating is being developed and should be open in a few weeks.
Continue reading Caffe Perusa is a secret that can’t be kept →

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Bistros

Jarfi’s finds a new home in former Lentini’s

Jarfi's
Jarfi’s menu has changed a bit (it’s always evolving), but what is truly new here is the atmosphere. The fare ranges from that of a French-style bistro to a sushi bar. LEO photos by Jane Mattingly

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes.com; Guest Critic Kevin Gibson

Jarfi’s Bistro relocated from the Kentucky Center to the former Lentini’s Little Italy location on Bardstown Road in April. While it seems an odd metamorphosis for a place that, for more than 40 years, was Louisville’s epicenter of authentic Italian dining, Jeff Jarfi’s stylish international bistro is right at home in its new digs.

Jarfi’s menu has changed a bit (it’s always evolving), but what is truly new here is the atmosphere – whereas Lentini’s was upscale and old-world sophisticated, the new Jarfi’s is colorful, vibrant and ethnically diverse. Under one roof, diners can encounter a French-style bistro, a Moroccan lounge, a sushi bar, traditional formal dining and a Times Square-themed dining hall.
Continue reading Jarfi’s finds a new home in former Lentini’s →

$$$$ Luxury ($80 and up), Commentary, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs, White tablecloth, deluxe

Corbett’s joins the region’s top tables

Corbett's
Housed in the 150-year-old farmhouse that was originally home to the Von Allmen dairy operation, Corbett’s “An American Place” opened in the winter, joining the ranks of the region’s top tables. Photo by Robin Garr.

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes.com

Chef Dean Corbett, who made his mark on the Louisville food scene with his excellent restaurant Equus in St. Matthews, has created one of the most outstanding restaurants in the region with this latest venture. Corbett’s “An American Place” opened in the winter in the far-east end of Jefferson County, in the growing Brownsboro Crossing shopping center east of the Snyder Freeway. It has already joined the ranks of the region’s top tables.

Housed in the 150-year-old farmhouse that was originally home to the Von Allmen dairy operation, Corbett’s has been renovated from cellar to ceiling, the gracious lines of a prosperous country estate now girded with every high-tech restaurant bell and whistle imaginable, from special air-conditioning for the comfort of chefs on the hot stations to a 21st century television system that allows, among other things, guests in the private “chef’s room” to interact with kitchen staff while their dinner is being prepared ($150 per person) and later receive a souvenir DVD recording of the experience.
Continue reading Corbett’s joins the region’s top tables →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Downtown, NuLu and Butchertown, World Food

We eat with our fingers, tastefully

Queen of Sheba
Ethiopian restaurant Queen of Sheba recently moved into the old Mazzoni’s building across from Bowman Field. Photo by Robin Garr.

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes.com

“Don’t eat with your fingers!” This nugget of parental advice is known to just about every child. It’s an integral part of the process of growing up with good manners.

From time to time, though, there’s a certain pleasure in casting aside knives and forks and diving right in. This casual approach works with fried chicken, for instance. Or the appropriately named finger sandwiches. Or a rack of juicy ribs. Just bring plenty of napkins.

Aficionados of ethnic food know another finger-food delight that, with a bit of experience, can actually be consumed with a degree of delicacy in a white-tablecloth setting. We’re talking about Ethiopian fare, an East African alternative that may currently be enjoyed at two local eateries.

Both Blue Nile and Queen of Sheba serve Ethiopian food in the traditional style, all dishes spread out on a large, communal plate lined with thin, spongy injera bread, with more of the bread served in rolls that replace our Western knives and forks.
Continue reading We eat with our fingers, tastefully →

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Bistros, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

Napa River Grill settles in at Westport Village

Napa River Grill
Crowds packed the preview grand opening of the new Napa River Grill, which left Dupont Square for Westport Village. Photo by Robin Garr.

Napa River Grill moved last week from its longtime location in Dupont Square, opening June 16 as an anchor restaurant in the fast-growing Westport Village complex.

We took a quick peek on opening night without stopping to dine, amid a crowd so large and happy it was hard to make out the details. Continue reading Napa River Grill settles in at Westport Village →

$$$$ Luxury ($80 and up), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, White tablecloth, deluxe

French Flying: Le Relais soars

Le Relais
If you’re in the mood for a more casual experience, the rear patio at Le Relais is more laid-back and offers a bonus: It overlooks the runway and hangars, so you can watch small planes come and go. Photo by Robin Garr.

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes.com, with Guest Critic Paige Moore-Heavin

Le Relais consistently ranks among my top five restaurants in Louisville, and on any given night, it can make the top one. Yet a lot of people are wary of experiencing this great dining room. Some fear it will be too expensive. Others sweat the potential embarrassment of being unable to read a fancy French menu.

There’s no need for concern, says LouisvilleHotBytes correspondent Paige Moore-Heavin, who recently checked out Le Relais and found the price doable (especially if you go for the special-deal prix fixe menu) and the friendly attitude entirely bilingual. Here’s her report:
Continue reading French Flying: Le Relais soars →

$ Budget (under $30), Seafood & Water's Edge, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

No need to roll your own at Mazzoni’s

Rolled oyster
Mazzoni’s, the 125-year-old Louisville tradition, is still going strong in its new Middletown digs. The fried oysters should not be missed. Photo by Robin Garr.

Mazzoni’s, the 125-year-old Louisville tradition, moved out to Middletown from its longtime quarters on Taylorsville Road earlier this year. I wandered out the other day for a couple deep-fried delights and found its new shopping center quarters virtually indistinguishable from the old, complete with the trademark 27-foot-long walnut serving bar (which dates all the way back to its old downtown location) and gallery of old Louisville pictures on the walls.
Continue reading No need to roll your own at Mazzoni’s →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Chinese, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

Dim Sum touch our hearts

Jade Palace

Centuries ago, long before “small plates” became trendy and before the Spanish came up with the idea of placing a little dish with a snack on top of their Sherry glasses to keep the fruit flies out of their wine, the Chinese realized that a procession of small plates bearing bite-sized snacks would be a civilized way to while away a convivial meal.
Continue reading Dim Sum touch our hearts →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Commentary, Guest columnist, Seafood & Water's Edge, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

Unchained Macca’s delights at Westport Village

Macca's
Macca’s Florida Seafood Grill & Bar holds down a prime spot in the Westport Village center. Outside seating, clean restrooms and a full bar, with plenty of scurrying employees wearing matching attire, put Macca’s squarely in the upscale-casual realm. Photo by Robin Garr.

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes.com, with Guest Critic Kevin Gibson

If Macca’s Florida Seafood Grill & Bar, with its clean, corporate, angular design and requisite marine-centric décor, looks like it could be part of a chain, that’s probably more than coincidental – this sleek, family-friendly restaurant was originally going to be an R.J. Gator’s franchise, but corporate expansion plans by the Florida-based restaurant chain got put on the back burner, reportedly for economic reasons.
Continue reading Unchained Macca’s delights at Westport Village →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Bistros, Commentary, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill

Make mine migas at North End Café

Migas at North End Cafe
North End Café’s migas are the Tex-Mex breakfast of champions. Photo by Robin Garr.

Looking for a tasty Tex-Mex breakfast? One of my favorites comes from North End Café, a popular eatery renowned for its breakfast but not often counted among the city’s destinations for Border Country cuisine.

North End’s expansive breakfast menu features more than two-dozen goodies, including such traditional items as biscuits and gravy ($4.75), steak and eggs ($11.99), or even a warm bowl of oatmeal ($4.79). Some dishes add creative touches – you can get your biscuits, for example, with the option of vegetarian mushroom gravy; and French toast ($5.49) gets a subtle touch from the addition of orange spice flavors.

Down at the bottom of the menu you’ll find a tasty Tex-Mex snack: Continue reading Make mine migas at North End Café →